The Challenge
by Jinxgirl
Summary: The Hamiltons (After Dark Horrorfest) fic. The Hamilton twins, Darlene and Wendell, challenge each other to a competition as to who can seduce their classmate- but perhaps there is a darker intention to this dare.
1. Chapter 1

Author notes: I do not own these characters. This is based upon characters from the movie The Hamiltons. It takes place about six years before the events of the movie.

It didn't take astute powers of observation for Darlene to figure out that her twin was into their classmate, Cristina Watson. Wherever she happened to be sitting in the three classes she shared with them both- freshman PE, algebra, and study hall- Wendell would automatically situate himself so he was close to Cristina, preferably just behind her, within easy range of interacting with her. Or at the very least, where he could easily see her and any slight movement she might make.

To Darlene, his interest in this particular girl was somewhat puzzling, and more than a little exasperating. Granted, it seemed that Cristina was generally admired for her looks, though she never seemed to be dating, because there was never any shortage of a guy trying to work his way into her pants. But the girl was such a goody-two-shoes that she never gave any of them the time of the day, let alone access to her precious panties, and it was obvious that she thought herself to be much better than the whole lot of them. Darlene didn't even think the stuck-up little snit was particularly attractive, at least not as Darlene viewed attractiveness. In Darlene's opinion, Cristina was very boring and bland in her appearance, never wearing clothing that could be construed as daring or different, never fixing her boring-brown hair any differently than wearing it up or wearing it down. Why her brother was so fascinated with her was something of a mystery to her.

Unless it was simply that Wendell was drawn in by the thought of changing Cristina, corrupting her, finally marring the steadiness to her, the lack of change in her presentation of herself. Unless he considered her to be a decent challenge for himself. Most fifteen-year-olds would be content with taking whoever would have them, regardless of their level of interest, but not Wendell Hamilton- and when it came down to it, not Darlene either. It was much more entertaining for her to feel that she was truly working to obtain what it was she had decided she wanted.

She watched with faintly narrowed eyes, frequently rolling them towards the ceiling, as her twin positioned himself in a seat just behind Cristina's in their algebra class, concentrating much harder on making his presence known to Cristina than on anything their droning instructor was attempting to convey to them. Wendell occasionally lightly kicked Cristina's chair at its seat, then, when she turned to look at him, gave her a smile that was intended to convey both presumed innocence and devilish enjoyment at having disturbed her. He slipped her a piece of gum onto her desk at her elbow, though he knew that chewing gum was not allowed in the classroom, and seemed satisfied when she quickly slipped it into her pocket without so much as glancing back at him. And when he reached out to lightly finger the tips of Cristina's hair, so carefully that Cristina only noticed the third time rather than the first or second ones, Darlene saw that he had caught his breath, that his hand was shaking slightly, as if he were struggling for control.

Wendell was pushing himself, perhaps testing himself…or more likely, he was enjoying drawing closer and closer to the edge, seeing just how far it was he could press against it before he finally had to cross the line. It was somewhat amusing, but it was something that would give their parents, if not Darlene herself, would be concerned about.

"You have to be careful, Wendell, Darlene," they had warned them both as they became teenagers, and then again, with more urgency, as they entered their first year of high school. "You are both growing up now, and the time is coming where you will have many urges- strong urges, almost overpowering ones. And one day you will give in to those urges, and the consequences can be very serious indeed. You must be careful, very careful."

But careful was not a word that was often associated with Darlene or Wendell Hamilton, and it certainly wasn't one that they intended to guide their lives or actions by. Careful was for David, their dweeby 19-year-old brother, certainly not for them. Taking risks, rolling the dice, letting the chips fall as they may, that was what being a teenager was about, wasn't it? And if you were a Hamilton, then it was all the more reason why you couldn't let yourself be governed by caution. It was simply against their innermost nature.

No, it wasn't concern that bothered Darlene about Wendell's interest in this Cristina…what was twisting and coiling itself tightly in her gut was plain, simple jealousy. How could he have any interest at all in a girl like Cristina when she was absolutely nothing at all like Darlene?

She intended to ask him that the second she had an opportunity to do so, the moment that she could bring it up without the prying eyes and ears of other students getting in between. It was an annoying but unchangeable fact about their classmates that they were simply different than herself, Wendell, and the rest of their family. They would never be able to understand the way their family operated, the relationship she had with Wendell, both which seemed entirely natural to Darlene. They were just another of the many, many things that their parents had warned them about…some things just weren't mean to be shared, and apparently, the fact that she had what outsiders would undoubtedly term an incestuous relationship with her twin brother was one of those things.

Silly, really, but then, Darlene had given up attempting to understand more conventional humans around the same time she and Wendell had been let out of the box. It was easier to accept things as they were, to let their brother David play the philosopher. And it left life a lot more open for making their own fun.

She was certain that Wendell had let himself get out in volleyball not to keep her company on the sidelines, like he usually might, but rather to let himself have open reign to gawk at Cristina in her gym shorts as much as he liked without being required to pretend he was participating in actually playing. Darlene herself, of course, had not dressed out for class and so had been directed as usual to stand or sit on the sidelines, not allowed to participate. This was hardly a punishment or consequence to her, as she had no interest whatsoever in putting herself in mismatched athletic clothing, removing her heavy rings, bracelets, and the dog collar she generally wore around her neck, and throwing herself among other adrenalized teenagers, attempting to dodge or to hit others with a spongy ball.

Watching her brother watching Cristina, the familiar faint jealousy stirred itself within her again, and Darlene sidled up to him, placing one hand on her shoulder and squeezing with light yet firm pressure as she too locked eyes on the object of his attention. She kept her voice low as she tilted her face upward, directing her words towards his ear.

"She's a twit, Wendell."

"Doesn't mean she's not easy on the eyes, and probably other parts," Wendell murmured back, his eyes shifting only briefly to his smaller twin before he shifted them back towards Cristina, and Darlene's jaw clinched.

"Like she'd ever have you."

"She will." Wendell's tone was certain. This only heightened Darlene's irritation as her hand pressed down harder on his shoulder, nails digging in subtly.

"Why do you even want her?"

"Why does it bother you? Jealous?" he shot back, turning his head now to look at her full on, and the slight smirk curving his lips, the knowing, self-satisfied glint in his eyes, infuriated Darlene more than any exchange passing between them before. It might be perfectly true, what he was saying, but that didn't mean she had to acknowledge it aloud.

She chose instead to twist the focus of their conversation, turning her head deliberately so that she too was watching Cristina rather than looking at her twin.

"You wouldn't even know how to get what you wanted from her. I could do a better job seducing her than YOU could."

At this Wendell raised an eyebrow, his interest now shifting to her rather than Cristina. That in and of itself was a minor victory.

"Oh, you think so?"

"No," Darlene shook her head, her darkly lipsticked lips slowly curving into a smirking smile as she lightly yet subtly caressed her thumb over her brother's shoulder. "I know so."

Wendell held her dark blue gaze with his own, and he too smiled, slow, silent, almost malevolent in its demeanor as he nodded.

"Do it then, Darlene. I dare you."

"Double dog dare me?" Darlene's smile widened, and Wendell shook his head, putting one hand on her wrist and lightly squeezing with the same pressure that she exerted on him, feeling her pulse spike beneath his touch.

"No. _Triple._"

"_Triple _dog dare…well, I can't very well turn that down, can I?" Darlene laughed slightly as she removed her hand from Wendell, lightly shoving at his wrist so he removed his as well. She leaned close to his ear again as she almost whispered, "Let's make it really interesting…why don't we have a competition? See which of us can pull her away from the others' _dogged_ efforts?"

Wendell gave a faint tut of amusement at her pun, but his eyes had shifted back to regard Cristina again as he nodded.

"You have yourself a deal."

"Good," Darlene smiled, satisfied, her own eyes shifting to Cristina, just in time to see her finally get hit by one of the spongy balls she had until this point so successfully dodged. "And it looks like it's starting now."


	2. Chapter 2

As Cristina made her way to the sidelines, Darlene was disgusted to see that her shoulders were slumped, her head down, disappointment coloring her features. What kind of girl actually _cared_ about getting out in dodgeball? What kind of girl actually _tried _in dodgeball rather than standing around hoping not to get hit? A girl like Cristina, of course. Yes, she was the perfect target for Darlene, the perfect challenge for Wendell. Darlene just hoped it wasn't _too_ easy of a victory.

She could see Wendell pulling himself up straight, intending to go to Cristina and start in on her right away, but Darlene wasn't about to let him have a head start. Moving with a slinky yet casual stealth and considerably more speed than she had shown at any other point anywhere near the school gym, Darlene intercepted Cristina before Wendell could reach her, coming to stand beside her and even lightly touching her shoulder as she tilted her head, grimacing in feigned sympathy.

"Ouch, they really nailed you with that ball, didn't they? Those boys…they're so rough on anyone who doesn't wear a jockstrap."

Cristina looked over at Darlene with more than a little surprise. Until today, she and Darlene had never spoken to each other, or even really openly acknowledged each other, and certainly they were not what one could consider to be friends or even friendly towards each other. Darlene, as most who knew her even slightly had figured out by this point, was not the sort of person that one made friends with, at least not the sort of friends that lasted, the sort of friends who shared secrets and had sleepovers at each other's homes. And with Cristina's All-American Prep Squad style and appearance, and Darlene's black upon black clothing, makeup, accessories, and hair, they were hardly two girls that most would pinpoint as likely to be anywhere near each other willingly, let alone to carry on a friendly conversation.

But Darlene's hand on her shoulder was gentle, her face was open and empathetic, and Cristina was still smarting from being thrown out. Darlene could almost see her mind whirring, deciding to take a chance in her response to Darlene as she nodded emphatically.

"Yes, it's ridiculous! I'm better than almost all the boys who were on my team, and they haven't even been trying to get most of them out, just me, this entire game! Did you see Brent Raynor hurl that towards my head, and he knows that isn't allowed in the rules! They've been trying to get me out this entire time just because I'm a girl, and they feel threatened or something because I got a few of them out! It's really unfair," she fumed, grinding her teeth unconsciously as she shook her head again.

Darlene squeezed Cristina's shoulder slightly as she too shook her head, every bit the sympathizing peer even as she slid her eyes to Wendell, her eyes smiling even if her mouth did not.

"Men and their egos…they just don't know what to do with themselves if they can't always be the best," she said, this aimed at Wendell as much as at Cristina. It was all she could do to contain herself from grinning outright as a muscle in Wendell's jaw twitched.

"It's so annoying…they think a man who's half as good as a woman and working half as hard deserves even more credit," Cristina fumed, but her tone was calmer now, and she turned fully towards Darlene, now looking her in the eye, as if deciding to acknowledge the fact that she was talking to her rather than simply respond to it. "Is that why you don't play…Darlene, right? Because the men will do this sort of thing with you?"

This was rather far off the mark, enough that Wendell, who was listening, lurking nearby, smirked and quickly lowered his head to hide it. But Darlene nodded, her face and voice sincere even if the notion was stupid to her too.

"Yeah, totally. I don't want to give them that sort of satisfaction, you know?"

She gently squeezed Cristina's shoulder again, then let her hand slide down her arm, fingers trailing their way down to her wrist. Cristina looked up at her quickly, then down at Darlene's hand on her arm, but she didn't pull away.

"I like your ponytail holder…it's very…sprightly," Darlene told her softly, her fingers still lightly on Cristina's wrist as she looked into her eyes rather than at her hair or the accessory in it.

Because Cristina's ponytail holder was pink and had a large pink flower attached to it, and about as different in style as Darlene's black clothing and accessories as one could conjure up, Wendell openly snickered at this, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall without attempting to hide his amusement as he watched his twin. Cristina glanced back at him, overhearing, and seeming unsettled by his reaction, but as she looked back at Darlene, smiling uncertainly, she seemed to be taking her at her word. Perhaps she reasoned that Wendell was laughing because he himself disliked the hair accessory…all the more help towards Darlene, then, Darlene thought with satisfaction.

"Oh, thank you, Darlene…I uh, didn't know you….you know…"

"Appreciated any color besides black?" Darlene smiled, raising an eyebrow. When Cristina blushed, Darlene laughed, reaching to pat her shoulder again.

"I'll let you in on a little secret, Cristina. If you wear all black, you never have to worry about taking the time to match up your wardrobe selections ever again. Pull something out of the closet, anything at all, and you're good to go. Added bonus is that it pisses your parents off."

When Cristina laughed, still a little uncertain, Darlene fingered the ends of her dyed, coal black hair, holding out a lock for Cristina to see. "And this _really _freaked them out. Add in ripped tights and short skirts and you're in the hall of fame for teenage rebellion classics. If you're ever feeling particularly rebellious, Cris, you can swing by my place and I can hook you up with the right ingredients, for sure."

Cristina smiled again, and looked like she was actually considering responding to the offer- possibly even in the affirmative. This was letting Darlene get much too ahead of the game for Wendell to be able to take, and so he stepped up beside them, adding his own efforts to detract Cristina's attention to him.

"Yes, you should definitely come by, Cristina…but I'm sure we could come up with much more entertaining activities than playing dress up to do," he said, giving her what he thought of as his most seductive smile.

Too strong, too much, too fast. Rather than agreeing immediately, and being swept off her feet, as he had hoped and intended, Cristina looked over at Wendell with a raised eyebrow before stepping just a little closer to Darlene, as though in silent request for the other girl to speak up for her. Irritated, Wendell did not back off, even as Darlene slid a seemingly protective arm around Cristina, turning towards Wendell just enough for him to see both her rolling eyes, for Cristina's benefit, and her smirk, for his.

"Oh, don't mind him, Cris, that's just my brother…you know, another of the male species who likes to assert his dominance over us helpless little females. But still, you should come by after school, tomorrow if not today. Don't worry, I'll make sure Wendell keeps his distance."

Wendell opened his mouth, heat rising within him at this, what he saw as blatant cheating on his twin's part, but just then the bell rang, signaling that it was time for them all to dress out to head to class. And before he could grab either of them, Darlene was starting towards the locker room with Cristina still beneath her arm.

"Later, Wendell," she called over her shoulder, and seeing the subtle middle finger she shot up at him, Wendell's fists clinched, even as the heat in his chest settled into lower regions. How was it that his sister could simultaneously make him want to throw her down and hit her repeatedly _and _throw her down and kiss her until her lips began to bleed?

Their competition continued for the rest of the day. Their last class period that they both shared with each other and Cristina was study hall, and although Wendell immediately moved to sit beside Cristina, the girl didn't smile at him like she did Darlene, didn't laugh at the comments he tried to amuse her with about the teacher and other students, or even about her own appearance. He didn't understand- she seemed to think everything Darlene said, no matter how sarcastic it was, was hilarious, and hadn't Darlene's comments about Cristina's appearance worked for her earlier in the day?

It must be about Darlene's tone or the way she could slide her eyes slyly towards the subject of her speech, the way she seemed to be letting Cristina in on a secret rather than simply talking. It must be the way her voice sounded when she dropped it into a low whisper tickling Darlene's earlobe, seductive and deep…Wendell knew firsthand how tempting Darlene's voice could be, how very persuasive, and could not begrudge Cristina for falling for it.

Still, it was infuriating that every time he spoke Cristina glanced at him, perhaps gave a cautious smile, but did not really respond. Every time he touched her arm or shoulder, she went still, as though waiting for him to remove it. And worse of all, every time she looked over at Darlene afterward, as though wanting an explanation, or perhaps protection…and every time, his twin would roll her eyes, confidentially touch Cristina's arm or shoulder or hand, and whisper something in her ear that Wendell knew must be a reassuring or more likely, scathing comment about her poor, hapless brother and his tendency to flirt with anything in a skirt- or perhaps, an explanation of his severe mental problems.

It was true that it was Wendell, and not so much Darlene, who had a reputation around the school for violence and impulsive, aggressive reactions to other people, that it was Wendell who had already, one year into high school, been suspended five times and was on the verge of expulsion. It was true that if those few girls he had made out with talked, they might have quite a lot to tell other girls, or even to warn them about. Despite Darlene's vaguely sinister mode of dress and the fact that she was every bit as aggressive as Wendell, only more socially skilled and better able to contain herself, it did make sense that Wendell's past giving in to his aggressive side could have gotten around.

It was a few incidents like that with other girls that had, within the past couple of years, caused the twins to decide together that any sexual urges or need for physical touch and comfort they had, they would most often carry out with each other rather than anyone else. It was safer for them and for everyone, considerably more convenient, required much less effort and planning and preparation, and everyone in the family accepted it as a much more prudent idea as well. It didn't require any sort of stretch for either of them, for they had been exceptionally close since birth- perhaps a result of sharing the same womb, perhaps as a result of the need for a degree of isolation in their family's method of conducting itself. Usually both were quite satisfied with this arrangement, physically and emotionally, because they both understood the workings of each other's thoughts and needs, so there was no need for any sort of explanation or pretense. They truly loved each other, before any others, even the rest of the family, and sometimes operated as a unit within themselves.

But sometimes, even so, somebody would catch their eyes, and they could not seem to fully distract each other or substitute for the craving that particular person caused. And Cristina Watson seemed to be one of those people for Wendell.

So far, both had done nothing too serious, nothing they or their family could not come back from. But this time, this girl, Darlene was not certain would be the same.

At their lunch period, Wendell went into the cafeteria with his hand possessively on Darlene's arm, wanting to hold her back from immediately seeking out and going to Cristina before he even had a chance to zone in on her. But it was Darlene who spotted her first, already having gone through the line and currently standing at the drink machine, and she pulled away from him with exaggerated ease, giving him a wicked grin as she patted his cheek in mock sympathy.

"It doesn't seem like she's been eagerly waiting for you much today, Wendell…do you want me to show you how it's done?"

"Day's not over yet, Darlene," he said through gritted teeth, but Darlene was hardly threatened. She laughed again, then taking one of his clinched fists, smoothed out his fingers and briefly entwined them with hers, looking up at him with glinting blue eyes.

"You're right, it's not, I have a lot more work to do then, right?"

She started to walk away, but then threw a glance back at him, adding, "You want to come and try to sweep her off her feet, feel free. If you ask me, though, the battle's already marching towards the finish line."

She spoke and moved in the same manner as a master throwing its dog a bone, and as Wendell stood there, every muscle tensed, eyes boring holes into the back of his sister's head, he wanted then to take her and throw her against the wall, to strike her until she was battered and bleeding and panting for breath. He wanted to make her cry out, and in between each strike he would kiss her until she couldn't breathe.

It was with great effort that he followed her to intercept Cristina, for what else could he do? He wondered as he moved to sit beside the two girls, both he and Darlene sitting untouched snacks in front of them, if it was truly Cristina he was interested in, or simply the prospect of arousing Darlene's competitive side, of engaging in a battle of sorts against her. Wendell was not one to dwell on thought or possibilities, or to consider any unconscious motivations of his behavior, but as he sat across from his twin, arousal stirring within him as she leaned in close to Cristina, often touching her as she made certain points, it was mostly Darlene, not Cristina, who caught his gaze.

Not that it mattered. He could always have Darlene…in the end, Cristina would just be a bonus.


	3. Chapter 3

They both knew that Cristina could not come over after school that very day, as was the original plan. This battle would have to continue for at least one more day in school, and perhaps through social networking, email, or telephone at home. In that respect, Wendell could possibly get ahead, for how could Darlene influence Cristina when it was only he speaking to her, with no one else around or listening in as a distraction?

Of course, this too had not gone according to Wendell's plan. At first, Darlene would not give him Cristina's phone number, which she had managed to obtain at some point when he had either been not present or not paying attention. There had been entirely too many Watsons in the phonebook to be able to guess which one might have been Cristina, and it was likely that she didn't have a home line anyway or wasn't home if she did. In the end, it had been after Darlene called Cristina, a phone conversation fraught with Darlene's put-on chuckles and murmuring gossip, every bit of it which Wendell had listened in on with growing anger, that he had realized how he could operate- simply press redial the second that Darlene was off the line.

What he hadn't thought about was the fact that Darlene remained in the same room as he did so and had no intention of leaving. What he hadn't planned on was her slipping into his lap and squirming, sliding her hands up his side and face with excruciating slowness as her lips traced a path over his neck, jaw, and onto his lips…all while he tried to have a conversation with a girl who wondered why he was calling her at all.

"I have…to go…see you…tomorrow," he ended up grunting to Cristina, just before hanging up and throwing Darlene off of him. Darlene got up from the floor unrattled, even laughing, as he grabbed her up again by the scruff of her collar, shaking her. "What the fuck was that, you're cheating!"

"Since when do we play by the rules?" Darlene laughed, and she leaned in to kiss him hard. He could hear her heart, beating every bit as fast as his. "She'll be over tomorrow, and then we'll see who really wins out…but first, we have to figure out how to deal with everyone else."

Because in the Hamilton family, that was a rather large hurdle in and of itself- getting everyone out of the house. The Hamiltons rarely went out as a group, or anywhere at all, other than school for the twins and their little brother, 11-year-old Francis, and work for their father and David. And yet, they would have to have privacy to continue to carry out their challenge from their home without anyone interrupting them or deflecting their plans- whatever those might be, and however vaguely they might have been formed in their minds.

One thing they wouldn't have to worry about, at least, was their baby brother, Lenny. Lenny was going to be in the box for a long time yet, so that was one less person they had to deal with.

The twins discussed among themselves in their bedroom, the day before they intended to maneuver a way for Cristina to come over, how it was that they would get everyone out of the house. It was Wendell's direct way to simply tell everyone to get out because he and Darlene had something they wanted to do, but Darlene's approach was more subtle, and therefore, as she pointed out, much more likely to actually work.

The two slunk into the living room with a plan of action that evening. As Wendell loomed just behind her, a casual arm around her shoulders, Darlene sidled up to her parents, coming to stand just behind their mother. Their father was reading a newspaper on their couch, their mother was helping Francis with his multiplication at the coffee table, as David almost mirrored his father across the room, his face also buried in a section of the paper. Darlene made no special noise or gesture to draw their attention, but merely spoke aloud in a tone that was conversational rather than sweet, for one thing that would be sure to make heads snap up was if Darlene sounded SWEET.

"You guys never let Francis do anything but go to school and back home, do you?" she rolled her eyes, leaning against the back of the couch as she stared down at the homework page Francis and his mother were working on. "You guys really baby that kid. When Wendell and I were eleven, we would go wherever the rest of the family went, everywhere, all the time. What, did you guys trust us more, or something?"

As had been the plan, Francis looked up, wide-eyed and already indignant as his head whipped between first his mother, then his father. "You did? That's not fair!"

"You and Wendell weren't even out of the box when you were eleven," David threw in from where he was seated, and Darlene smiled at him viciously as she shot back, "Well, YOU weren't out of the closet."

"Darlene," her mother reproofed, giving her a stern look, but now Wendell was taking over, though Darlene had earlier told him to let her handle most of it.

"I bet the kid's never even seen a movie. What kind of kid never saw a movie? Talk about closet cases, this kid doesn't hatch out of his little egg some time, he's going to end up not knowing shit about how to act. "

"Francis is doing very well so far, and I'm sure he'll continue to do so," their mother said evenly, patting Francis's shoulder, but Francis was hardly satisfied with this praise.

"I want to see a movie!" he declared, homework abandoned now as he drew himself up, both excited by the dangling prospect and indignant that he had thus far missed this opportunity. "I've been out of the box for a few months now and I've been okay! I'll be good, I swear!"

"It would sort of be like a test control," Darlene shrugged, idly running fingers through Wendell's hair, as both made every effort not to smile. "Of course, if you did take him, don't count on me or Wendell being there. I'd rather shoot myself through both eyes then sit through some rousing rendition of shrill-voiced cartoon characters and their plight to save the planet from having interesting lives."

At this David put down his paper and turned fully towards them, squinting as he announced suspiciously, "They're planning something."

"Yeah, like cutting holes in the seat of all your pants and maybe parts inside them if you keep talking," Wendell threatened, even as their father too turned towards them, raising his eyebrows as he asked, "Is there perhaps an ulterior motive to this sudden concern for your little brother?"

"Wendell!" their mother admonished sharply in response to Wendell's comment to David, but Francis had taken up a refrain, thankfully, in the twins' eyes, at least, distracting them both.

"I never get to go anywhere, I never get to do anything!"

"Francis, we have to make sure you're in control, we have to make sure we'll all be safe-" his mother began, but Francis stood up, now working himself into an indignation that they did not often see in him.

"I want to see a movie! I'll be in control, we'll all be safe, I promise, I PROMISE!"

The focus of the conversation, despite David's repeated efforts to draw it back to his own concern, which was on what, exactly, had prompted the twins to bring it up, then shifted entirely to attempting to reason, then negotiate, with Francis's stubbornness, and from that point, it then shifted to their parents agreeing that yes, for just one night, they could try to take Francis out to the movies, just after school. The following day happened to be at a time that David would be working, and no, the twins would not be expected to come too.

The twins found it difficult to control their victorious grins as they started to walk off, feigning having lost interest in the discussion, and David's disgust from his seat in the corner made it all the more satisfying. Their brother was such a drip, a real killjoy, and STILL they were getting away with this.

"I am WAY ahead of you on points in this," Darlene gloated to Wendell in a whisper, pressing her chest against his side and breathing her words into his ear as they walked down the hallway towards their room. "That counts as my points because it was my idea, and I did most of the talking."

"I'll get all the points where it really counts…we haven't even reached the main event, and that's what really determines the win," Wendell retorted. Both jumped when they heard their names being called, and swiveled their heads, turning with such speed that if the average person had watched, they would have blinked and thought themselves to be imagining things, for the two would look as though they had blurred.

Their father was standing at the end of the hallway, arms crossed, eyebrows still raised, and as he walked towards them slowly, he said quietly, "Don't think I don't have an idea of what the two of you were up to back there."

The twin's eyes shifted toward each other, both searching for a response to this, and as Darlene opened her mouth, her father held up his hand, cutting her off.

"I don't want to hear any excuses or lies you'll come up with, and I certainly don't want to hear any details. Just…" he exhaled, his voice dropping lower as he finished, "Don't lord it over David to make him jealous, don't flaunt it where Francis will see or hear, tone it down around your mother, and above all, use a condom."

Both Wendell and Darlene's eyes widened, and they both gave a short, startled laugh, not having expected this drawn conclusion at all, though it was admittedly a rather valid one. Problem was, that particular conclusion had already been occurring for almost a year now, and they had by now rather suspected their parents both knew and were simply ignoring it.

"It's natural enough, I suppose…relationships between our kind have to be…well, there's a limited number of us, and so that will tend to lead us to those who are…somewhat closer than is usually considered acceptable…just…you're both young, and…just use them, okay?" their father finished off, giving a gruff and somewhat embarrassed nod before disappearing back into their living room.

It wasn't until he was out of sight that the twins burst out laughing, leaning against each other for support as their legs weakened slightly with their mirth. One thing about their family- their parents, if no one else, were pretty damn cool.


	4. Chapter 4

The following day, the twins could scarcely contain themselves to get through the school day. Every class they shared with Cristina they could hardly sit still, and throughout each of them, in the hallways, and in the cafeteria, they both vied without subtlety for her attention and favor. It was still Darlene who was winning out in that particular race, for it was Darlene whom Cristina would speak more than a clipped sentence in response to, Darlene whom she would actually have a conversation with. Darlene found each of her thoughts to be excruciatingly boring, but she was skilled at nodding and smiling and timing just when and where to touch the other girl to put her more and more at ease.

Wendell could see this all too well, and inwardly he seethed, hands becoming tighter fists at his sides as the day went on. He didn't understand what it was with this Cristina, this snippety little bitch who refused to even acknowledge him most of the time other than sideways glances and pointed short replies when she was in Darlene's presence. He knew that Darlene encouraged this response from her, that his twin was more skilled in manipulation than he, whereas he was more physically strong and could of course do a better job at achieving his goals by physical force. But still, even with Darlene's influence as a factor, he usually was better with girls than THIS. It must be Cristina in particular who was rebuffing him, and the less she responded to him, the more fiercely he wanted her.

By the end of the day, he swore to himself with renewed determination each time she turned away, each time his twin leaned close and whispered in Cristina's ear, he, not Darlene, would be the one with Cristina on his arm, or perhaps pinned beneath his legs. Darlene might have won the first few rounds, but that didn't mean Wendell was giving up the game.

They rode the bus home from school, as usual. Most days Darlene and Wendell would share a seat in the back, where they could let their hands slip wherever they willed without the bus driver or most of the other kids being able to see, but today Darlene indicated for Cristina to slide in next to her only three seats from the front of the bus, where she immediately bent her mouth close to her ear again. More of that infuriating whispering…Wendell suspected from the way Darlene cut her eyes up at him, her lips curling into a self-satisfied smile, that she was doing this for show as much as to advance her game, simply to annoy him, or to provoke him to more dramatic moves. Standing in the aisle, blocking the way for the rest of the kids trying to find a seat behind him, Wendell's face reddened, his jaw tensed, and before he had time to think it through he said loudly, "It's three to a seat in this bus, room for another?"

Before Cristina could respond, Wendell simply plopped down beside her, making it a tight squeeze for the three. As she scooted as close to Darlene as she could, her irritation showing in the new tightness of her features, Wendell met Darlene's eyes and smiled, pleased to see her smile back, amused rather than angry.

"So," he asked Cristina conversationally, deliberately pressing his shoulder into hers as heavily as he could while still conveying the impression that it was unconscious, "what do you and my sister have planned for today, all alone in our big empty house?"

Then he stopped, giving a faint chuckle as he shook his head. "Oh, sorry, I misspoke…all alone, except for the three of us."

Cristina's eyes shifted to Darlene, widening slightly. It appeared that Darlene had not informed her of this little nugget of information. Darlene smiled too, first at Cristina, then at her twin before she almost purred, "Oh, I'm sure we'll find something to entertain us…won't we, Cris?"

Cristina's returning smile was slow in coming.

They didn't offer her food or drink when they first came through the door; there would have been none to offer, and she didn't ask. Instead, Darlene immediately linked her arm through Cristina's and began to drag her in the direction of her and Wendell's shared bedroom.

"Come on, Cris, I think we should totally work you over," she announced, fingering a strand of Cristina's hair with her free hand. "You're going to emerge from this experience a totally new being. No one will even recognize the new you."

Wendell caught the vagueness of her declarations and wondered to himself with a hidden smirk if there was a double meaning to this, a meaning that only he could have possibly interpreted. But Darlene was keeping her face turned towards Cristina, not him, and he could not read her expression.

Cristina appeared to be apprehensive at this promise, all the more so because Wendell, determined not to miss out on any opportunities, made sure to stay a step behind them as Cristina walked with them. She glanced back at Wendell, then over to Darlene, wrinkling her brow as she asked her, "They won't recognize me? What, are you going to cut my hair and change my clothes, or something?"

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to make you exciting," was Darlene's reply as she continued to half guide, half drag Cristina down the hall, opening the doorway to their room, Wendell still at their heels.

Cristina's eyebrows shot up. Apparently she was not liking the sound of this, Wendell noted with some satisfaction. "What does that mean? Because no offense, Darlene, but I don't want to end up completely Goth-ified like you. I'm pretty okay with how I look."

"Oh, live a little, Cris, you would look amazing in some of the things I have in mind for you," Darlene dismissed as she headed straight for her closet, rummaging through it with her back to the door.

The bedroom was large, the floor covered with a removable black carpet, its interior simple, almost bare. The twins did not have many possessions to clutter it up, so most of the bedroom's space was taken up by twin beds, a dresser, nightstand, desk, and its large closet. Cristina remained standing in the doorway, skeptical, as Wendell touched her shoulder from behind, leaning close to whisper in her ear.

"You're in for it now…Darlene was the one who always gave her Barbies Mohawks and Magic Marker tattoos before flushing them down the toilet."

Cristina jumped, eyes darting back and forth between Wendell and Darlene as Darlene turned back towards them, several articles of clothing draped over one arm.

"I didn't flush them down the toilet, I just buried them in the yard," was Darlene's unruffled reply as shook her head and spoke to Wendell in a mock reproving tone. "Are you scaring our guest, Wendell?"

"I think your offer of a makeover is doing that nicely enough on its own," Wendell retorted as Darlene stepped forward, offering Cristina her finds.

"See, these boots will really emphasize your legs and thighs, and yours are so nicely shaped that you should, every chance you get," she informed her with a lifted, faintly insinuative eyebrow as she held them out for her to take. "This dress here, yes it's black and low-cut, but it's also exactly the cut to flatter your body."

"It is?" Cristina looked at the dress in question skeptically, even as Darlene vigorously nodded.

"Oh, yes…just look at you," she told her, coming close enough to be able to reach out and lay her palm against Cristina's cheek, then stroke down, lightly touching her fingertips over her neck, shoulder, and then down over the curve of her waist and hip as she looked directly into her eyes. "With this body, Cris, you would outshine me in everything I own. I'd be jealous to stand beside you."

When Cristina hesitated, her eyes drifting down to follow the trail of Darlene's hand, Darlene stepped back, retrieving another dress from her closet. Wendell's stomach twisted in disappointment when she pulled her hand away, for he had been watching with baited breath, hoping for it to travel a few inches north or south.

"Here, I'll try one on too and you try that one on, you'll see."

"Okay…just trying it on though, I don't want you to mess with my hair or my face," Cristina agreed reluctantly, and Darlene gave her one of her wide smiles, the type that Wendell immediately recognized as fake.

"Great. I'll get you accessories once I see how it looks on."

Cristina's eyes moved to Wendell, and she even started to address him, no doubt to ask him to leave the room while they undressed. "Uh, Wendell, a little privacy, maybe? Get out now, we're-"

But she cut off her own sentence before it had entirely concluded, as her eyes shifted back towards Darlene- and she realized that Darlene had already slipped her shirt over her head, was now in the process of unbuttoning and unzipping her pants. Cristina's mouth dropped, and her head swiveled between the nonchalant Darlene and the still-present Wendell, who was now casually leaned against the doorframe of the bedroom, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched Darlene, eyes not swerving from her exposed pale flesh for a moment.


	5. Chapter 5

An odd sound, something like both a gasp and a squawk, emerged from Cristina's lips, and she made a feeble yet indignant gesture with one hand between the two of them as she attempted to voice her thoughts. "You…Darlene! Wendell…what are you-"

"Oh, am I making you uncomfortable?" Darlene turned more fully towards her, so that Cristina could fully see her small but nicely formed breasts in the cups of her black bra, the slight outlines of her ribs visible beneath her almost transparent skin. As Cristina stared, Darlene smiled, her teeth very white against the black of her lipstick, and she slowly raised one hand to run through her hair, as if to draw further attention to the slight movement of her breasts and increased exposure of rib this caused.

And Wendell, Cristina was stunned to notice, was still watching every move, not even pretending to turn away. And he too was smiling, even more noticeably than Darlene.

"What, you've never seen a girl undress before? And you're the one who's always so quick to dress out in PE," Darlene laughed, shaking her head. She made no attempt to undress any further, but merely stepped closer to Cristina, enjoying how the girl took a matching step back from her- which only drew her closer to Wendell in the doorway. "I didn't know you were so shy, Cris, it's just a body. I don't have anything you don't have…I might even have less of it," she smirked, her eyes moving deliberately to regard Cristina's slightly larger breasts.

Cristina crossed her arms immediately over her chest, her cheeks reddening perhaps in embarrassment, perhaps in continued shock or even anger as she shook her head vehemently, her voice rising. "Of course I dress out in gym, Darlene, that's just GIRLS, I don't care about GIRLS seeing me or me seeing them…but WENDELL'S here! Your BROTHER is in here watching you!"

She didn't even look in Wendell's direction, nor address him directly; it was as if, Wendell was amused to see, she thought that giving him any specific attention from herself would only encourage him further. She needn't have worried, as Wendell felt more than encouraged enough by Darlene. This might be a challenge, but it seemed that even moment by moment its rules were changing, and now, it appeared, he and Darlene were on the same team…without a word of discussion needed, the opponents, they both knew, were now he and Darlene against Cristina…what was not yet clear, was what, exactly, the challenge now consisted of, and what would be the consequences for the losing side.

"Yes?" Darlene said with a raised eyebrow in response to Cristina pointing out Wendell's presence, clearly unbothered. "What about him?"

"He's WATCHING YOU!" Cristina sputtered, and at this Wendell chuckled aloud, his eyes moving from his sister just briefly, in time to see red splotches appear on Cristina's neck- hives of some sort.

"I think Darlene has eyes to see," he commented, and he and Darlene locked gazes and smiled before Darlene turned back to Cristina.

"I know he is," she shrugged. "So what? I don't mind, it's just Wendell. It's not like it's something he's never seen before." She gestured towards the dress she had handed her, asking, "Don't you want to try that on?"

"No, not with him standing there!" Cristina blurted, her voice increasing in volume each time she spoke, and Darlene shrugged, taking another slow, deliberate step towards her.

"Suit yourself…"

Cristina was still staring at her, her eyes flicking from Darlene's chest very briefly before she hurriedly shifted them back up to her face. She took another step back, shaking her head slowly, eyes still wide, lip curled with disgust. Then, as something else Darlene had said seemed to register to her more fully, she gasped again, spinning around to look at Wendell with some disbelief before turning again back towards Cristina.

"Wait…nothing he's not SEEN? You mean he…you and he, he sees you-"

"We're very close, Cristina," Darlene said softly, but there was a slipperiness to her tone, a sly look to her face as she took another step forward. Something about how she held herself and the manner in which she spoke resembled a snake about to strike, and as she pressed forward, Cristina was continually driven back, closer and closer to Wendell. "We shared the same womb, we were born naked together, we were bathed and changed together as children…it's a very natural state to be. Very honest…very pure and raw."

"Pure?! Your pervert brother is staring holes through your tits!" Cristina almost screamed, and both Darlene and Wendell chuckled as Darlene stepped still closer.

"I'm hot…he's a guy. He can't help himself," Darlene said with rueful fondness heavy in her tone, and she met Wendell's eyes again over Cristina's head, both sharing a darkly affectionate smile. "And anyway," she concluded as she wound her arm around Wendell's waist, pressing her almost bare torso into his side and moving in close to him as his own arm came to circle her form, "we have a very close relationship."

"Very," Wendell agreed as he bent to kiss the top of Darlene's head, his lips lingering, and the hand resting on the ball of her shoulder stroked down and across, lightly fingering her side.

Cristina almost gawked, now only a foot or two away from them both, as Darlene had surpassed her to join him in the doorway. If she wanted to leave now, with both of them blocking the way, she would have little hope of escaping. The bedroom contained no windows, no other methods of exit, but as of then, she appeared to not have realized this with her astonishment at their behavior.

"So…Darlene, you're telling me…that if you and your sister are undressing…you just, you don't CARE, you just let him, because…because you were naked together as BABIES?! You both look just a little different than you did as babies, what the hell!" she sputtered.

The two appeared confused at her words, exchanging glances at each other, but if Cristina had hoped she was getting through to them, she was to be disappointed.

"What sister?" Darlene asked, truly mystified as to what Cristina was saying, and Cristina jabbed a finger at one of the twin beds in the room as she continued to explain in a rather agitated fashion.

"The beds, two beds, don't you share a room with a sister or something? Does your SISTER just let him come in and mentally photograph her every time she changes? Or is that okay to your twisted sense of logic because she wasn't, like, naked in the womb with him or something?"

"What is she talking about?" Wendell said in an undertone to Darlene, turning towards her slightly to face her. "Did you tell he we had a sister?"

"No," Darlene replied with a hint of amusement to her tone, and she turned back towards Darlene as she explained with no small amount of relish, "I don't have a sister, Cris. That's Wendell's bed…but we usually don't use it. Normally, we share one bed. It's much cozier."

She grinned as she watched Cristina's mouth fall open, her face drain of color, and her hand lightly squeezed Wendell's side with growing excitement. Whatever happened next, it was going to be good.

"Okay…okay…I don't know if this is a joke, or a, a…whatever this is…and whatever's for real here…this is not cool. This, this is sick, and I'm…I'm really not okay with this. I'm…I'm getting out of here," Cristina stammered, but even as she began to move towards the door, she realized that Darlene and Wendell, arms still entwined around each other, were fully blocking it, and seemed to have no intention of letting her aside.

"Let me by, I said I'm going," she demanded, though her tone shook slightly, but neither budged. Neither was smiling now, and they stared down at her, arms locked, forming a rather imposing blockade.

There was nothing joking or amused about their expressions or postures anymore. Neither did they look angry, exactly…the first thought that came to Cristina's mind as she looked up at them was that they looked hungry. But surely that didn't make sense…surely that was-

"You know, Cristina," Wendell said slowly, his tone measured, deliberate, "you are getting just a little bit boring here."

"Actually, Wendell, she's very boring…and she always has been," Darlene corrected, but her eyes were on Cristina rather than her brother as she addressed her directly. "You have a lot to learn about being a friend, don't you, Cris? Let me give you lesson number one on friendship…good friends don't judge…and good friends definitely don't tell."

"Don't judge that you're doing twincest?" Cristina blurted, her eyes almost bulging, and Wendell and Darlene exchanged an amused look.

"We haven't shown you twincest yet, Cristina, I don't know what you're talking about," Wendell said with feigned innocence.

Darlene grinned, slow, vicious, and her narrow face resembled a snake's, approaching its prey. "Yeah, Cris, you haven't seen anything like twincest."

And with that she grabbed the back of her brother's neck, tilting his head down towards hers as she kissed him, long, insistent, open-mouthed, and clearly very passionately. Wendell responded in kind, wrapping an arm more tightly around Darlene's shoulders as he drew her close. As Cristina gawked, frozen with her horror, Darlene slowly pulled her face away, tilting her head close to Wendell's as she glowered towards Cristina with something like triumph.

"THAT was twincest…and that was only the lowest bracket. If you want a real show, you should-"

"That's it, I'm leaving! That was disgusting, you're both sick, you're both DISGUSTING!" Cristina almost shrieked, her hands gesturing wildly. "Get out of my way, now!"

And she attempted to squeeze between the two of them, to brush them aside so she could get out the door. But both simply stared at her, their bodies taking up the entire entranceway, and both were locked together so closely that she could not break past them to get through. As Cristina tried again to shove past them, first with her shoulder, then with both hands, they remained unmoved, expressions grim as they continued to stare her down.

This seemed to frighten her, and she continued to push at them, harder and with more desperation now, giving off soft grunts of effort and frustration when they did not let her by. She screamed, she started to claw at their arms with her nails, and still they did not move. Still they only stared at her, as though having decided without words to stand united until she wore herself down. It wasn't until she reached, panting, chest heaving, for Darlene's face, seeming to intend to claw at her eyes, that they acted.

Both at once reached out then, each taking one wrist in a grip so sudden and strong that Cristina gasped, then screamed, feeling her bones slowly grinding against each other, then a soft snap as some gave way.

"Let's get this straight," Wendell said in a soft but clearly menacing tone, bending his face down close to Cristina's as she continued to squeeze her wrist. "No one hurts Darlene without her express permission and pleasure…because trust me, she can hurt you a hell of a lot worse."

"Would you like me to demonstrate?" Darlene asked almost pleasantly, but the dark, closed look of her face and her small, twisted smile contrasted sharply with her tone. Not waiting for Cristina's answer, she bent her wrist all the way backward, listening to bones snap, and her entire face lit up at the resulting snaps and pops.

Cristina screamed again, tears beginning to make their way rapidly down her cheeks as she trembled, shaking her head repeatedly as she no longer attempted to fight them. She gulped for breath, looking up at them as she pleaded, sobbing.

"Please, please, let me go, I'm sorry, I won't judge, I won't tell, just let me go. Let me go, please, please, it hurts, let me go…"

"Let you GO?" Darlene sneered, looking over at Wendell, "why would we do a rude thing like that to our cherished little guest?"

"We can't just send you off without finishing off our welcome," Wendell agreed, "and besides, our mother always told us not to waste perfectly good food."

It took a moment for Wendell's words to really hit Cristina, but when they did, it was already too late. By the time she understood, they had already pinned her against the opposite wall, one hand each holding an arm, one hand from each against her torso, holding her in place. By the time she opened her mouth, their eyes had gone black with a frightening animalistic flatness, and their mouths had opened wide, revealing sharp incisor teeth. And by the time Cristina began to scream, both sets of fangs were already biting through her throat, ending her vocalization almost as soon as it began, and she could only slump without strength, waiting for them to remove enough blood from her for her life to end.

One thing was for certain, Wendell and Darlene could clearly see, as they took in the sight of the badly bloodied body at their feet. It was a somewhat sobering thought, and as they stood in silent regard to it, Wendell finally spoke it aloud.

"We definitely need a new carpet…and I bet Mom and Dad will make us buy it with our own money."

"Yeah, not to mention how hard it's going to be to scrub blood off the wall," Darlene nodded heavily, exhaling. "Damn it, I have like fifteen dollars to my name."

"Do you think they'll be mad?" Wendell looked over to Darlene for her opinion, not truly concerned, but rather merely curious. "They always said when our time came, we should never do it in the house…think we'll get Lecture Ten Billion, or a free pass on this one?"

"Oh, we'll get the lecture, but they'll probably understand," Darlene shrugged, running her fingers through her hair in an effort to find and rid it of blood clumps, but her own stained fingers were only exacerbating the problem. "It's not like we set out to do it…exactly. So, it was more like an accident…or, that's what we can say, anyway."

She looked up at Wendell with a mischievous grin, and her twin smiled back with an identical emotion behind it.

"Well…it WAS our first time…and those things…sometimes they just catch you by surprise."

"Look at us, twin brother," Darlene declared, and she slipped both arms around Wendell slowly from his front, pressing herself against him, sticky bloodstained inch by sticky bloodstained inch as she tilted her face up towards his, grinning. "We're growing up."

And Wendell tightened red-stained arms around her, bending his face down so they were forehead to forehead, nose to nose. "So this is adulthood…whoever said it was so much fun?"

And as the twins kissed, standing in the blood of the murdered teenage girl not even a full foot apart from them, the last tattered shreds of whatever innocence of childhood they had still possessed fully slipped away, and they missed it not at all.

The end


End file.
